A decade on after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, South Florida families who lost loved ones on that day had an opportunity to tell prosecutors what they want to see in the upcoming court cases of five alleged 9/11 conspirators Thursday.
Retired New York City policeman John Napolitano was one of the 9/11 family members who spent the day at an out-of-the-way VFW hall in West Palm Beach.
Not a day goes by without Napolitano thinking of his son, firefighter Lt. John P. Napolitano, who lost his life in the World Trade Center’s north tower.
“They were murdered. There is no sanitizing it,” the firefighter’s father said. “The Taliban, al-Qaida, terrorists, they’re thugs. They’re thugs and murderers.”
Federal prosecutors are building their cases against the alleged architect of the attacks – Khalid Sheikh Mohammed – and four other detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay. The prosecutors asked the South Florida families to come to West Palm Beach as they search for evidence and see who wants to testify.
“Looking at them face to face with them, for me, is not the important issue. The important issue is that justice be done,” Napolitano said.
The trials will take place at Guantanamo before a military commission, and the five men are formally charged with violating the laws of war.
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Debra Strickland’s husband, Larry, was an Army sergeant major who died at the Pentagon.
She said she is not sure how she would handle coming face to face with those charged if she is selected to testify – but said that “of course” she wants to.
“A sense of closure” motivates her to testify, she said. “You know the individuals that were responsible for this, they still have an opportunity to speak every day.”
Family members said Thursday they were not given an exact timeline on when the trials will begin, but they appear to be months away. The prosecutors will need to decide how many families should take the stand. Prosecutors did not respond to a request for details on their efforts.
Now, the families go back to exercising something they have perfected over the years – patience.
